The Lush Forest

[Guest]

Dalorian stalked through the lush forest. Having left the path some hours ago in agitation, he was thoroughly lost now. He had no destination. He was fed up with the world, unable to find satisfaction in worldly things. So, he decided, he would search the other-worldly.

Now in the midst of the lush forest, renown for its mystical and mysterious bowers, and dreaded because few who entered ever returned, Dalorian wandered aimlessly. Dalorian was a big man, standing well over six feet. His long blonde hair flowed behind him in the wind while his bright blue eyes pierced the evening dusk.

Dalorian, totally lost now, decided to find a place to camp for the night. He soon came upon a small meadow, filled with soft green grass, encircled by birch trees whispering in the wind. He quickly built a small fire and began to prepare his supper...

 

[bobo_daclown]

Alocacoc:

Hanging upside-down by my tail, I bask in the evening sun. One of my eyes always open catches movement in the valley below. Still sleeping, I watch the newcomer set a dwelling and create a fire. Fire means firebugs--is this newcomer crazy?

As the dark of night crawls into the sky, I wake stretching my six mighty limbs into the sky. I take the time to replay my memory carefully, realizing why my unconscious had not waken me. This petty creature is no threat.

Head first, I climb down the trunk of the mighty tree. My tail curls into a sleep of its own. As I descend the tree, I am six feet of bark, thin but large. On the ground, my circular body wades through the grass, mere inches from the ground. I walk up to the fire and climb over it, emptying my bladder into the warmth. Looking up, I see the newcomer, looking at me warily. "No firebugssss," I hiss. My spider like shape lifts slightly.

 

[Mirror868]

Dalorian watches in astonishment as this strange creature urinates on his fire, and his dinner. "Hey! That's my dinner your pissing on!" he says, gaging this spider-like stranger. His hand moves to his dagger as he asks, "What's a firebug?"

He need not have asked. A light buzzing sound could be heard coming from the dark eastern sky, rapidly growing louder. Dalorian turns to face the sound and sees hovering over the tree-tops five fist-sized insects with nasty fangs and stingers. They fly swiftly towards the extinguished fire and Dalorian raises his dagger expecting an onslaught. He looks to the spider-like creature, "Any suggestions?"

But the firebugs fly swiftly by campsite, obviously not interested in fires that are not burning.

"Right. Alright then, guess it's back to the dried fruit... Care to join me?" He offers the spider-like creature a selection of dried plums, bananas, and pears...

 

[Mirror868]

OOC: Hey, anyone wanting to join the adventure, feel free. The only limit is our imaginations... Cheers.

 

[Guest]

...but the spider-like creature is gone! Dalorian whips his head around to see if he can see where it went, but all he hears are whispers in the grass.

"Alright," he thinks to himself, "like the wind it came and like the wind it goes. I certainly won't be sleeping tonight."

Dalorian sits down where he is and calms his mind. "No need to panic," he thinks. "Just because you don't know where you are or where you going is no reason to get upset." He eats his fill of dried fruits, weybread and a splash of water before setting up his vigil. After the sudden appearance of the spider thing, he has no intention of falling asleep.

Hours pass. The waxing moon rises above the trees to the southwest and begins to arc across the sky. Thus far, he has managed to stay awake, but his eyelids are growing heavy.

"Hey there! Wake up!" Dalorian is startled from his half-meditative state and looks up. He sees an old man, dressed in white robes, who seems to be shining. "Wake up, you fool, know you not where you ARE?"

"I-" Dalorian begins.

"Don't speak! Listen! You are in grave danger. You have entered the Lush Forest, from which few return. The Path to freedom is but one, and it is hard. Like walking a razor's edge it is! Northward your path lies, through the Vale Gates and over the Frozen Lake. If you survive thus far, maybe I will aid you further!" The Man Dressed In White jumps up, swifter than expected and touches Dalorian on his forehead, slightly above his eyebrows (on his 3rd eye)...

Dalorian awakes with the sun shining in his face. "What a dream I've had! Vale Gates, Frozen Lake!" He sits up and in the dirt beside him is a V scratched in the dirt and an arrow pointing North...

OOC: Dalorian is a low-level Half-Elven Ranger/Druid. Very tall for his race at 6'2, but thin (165lbs). He has wiry strength, is very quick on his feet, and wise for his years (he's only just reached adulthood at 38). He carries throwing daggers concealed on his body plus a fighting dagger on his belt. His magical focus is on healing, but he has a couple other tricks up his sleeve...

 

[Dark Warrior]

I'm in

IC: I stepped forward into the clearing where the Man-thing stood. I assume, by his reaction, that he has never seen a centaur before, or at least was not expecting one to burst from the bushes like that, a notched arrow pointed straight at him from my bow.
"Peace, Man-thing. No harm shall I make upon thee." I lowered my bow just a little. "Unless thee wouldst try to make it upon myself, whom you may call Adraelus. What wouldst thy have Adraelus calleth thee?" I hoped my very loose grip on the Common speech made sense to the Man-thing.

OOC: Okay, the "very loose grip" thing is going by the standard of Centaurs, not the slow-minded Man-things, hehehe...

 

[Mirror868]

Dalorian's eyes widened as the Centaur stepped out from the trees. He had heard tell of them, but he had never been sure whether to believe the tales or not. He bowed in reverence to the noble creature. "Dalorian," he said. "My name is Dalorian, son of Drindian, son of Ixian of the Elves of the Mandelenin Wood far to the east. My mother was human and I am therefore mixed in blood, but not in mixed heart. A friend to all the noble creatures of the forest am I."

Dalorian's heart was beating fast and hard in his chest. A centaur! He wondered if he had been able to conceal his bewilderment.

"Adraelus, I had a strange dream last night... A man dressed in white appeared to me and told me to seek the Vale Gate and the Frozen Lake to the north. See, here is his sign and an arrow traced in the dust. Can you shed any wisdom upon this strange vision?"

 

[Dark Warrior]

Adraelus

"Didst thou say Mandelenin? Perhaps the Mixed-thing has seen or heard tell of Adraelus' brother, whom goes by the name of Genzrden? But, nay, Adraelus can see in thy eyes that thee hath never seen another of Adraelus' kind." The centaur sighed, and cast his head down. " 'Tis many years since Adraelus hath seen his brother... but, you need advice other than this from Adraelus. Adraelus shall tell you this, and only because of thy elven blood: oft times the white man of whom you speak appears, and in a multitude of forms. Never hast Adraelus set eyes upon any of these, but Adraelus knows what the white man knows. Heed his advice, and thee shall be following thy true path. Adraelus wouldst help thee further, but, alas, Adraelus hath many things to do. Adraelus must now say farewell to the Mixed-thing, and perhaps a token of good luck shall he give."
The centaur stepped elegantly forward and pressed a small symbol of strange design into Dalorian's palm.
"Adraelus shall come, perhaps, when the Mixed-thing needs him. No more guarantee can Adraelus give." And with that, the majestic centaur turned away from the speechless half-elf, and slowly walked, seemingly melted into the surrounding forest.

 

[Mirror868]

Dalorian

Dalorian watched the centaur fade into the trees. First the strange vision of the Man Dressed In White and then a Centaur. Incredible! He looked around warily, what else might be watching him in this forest? He certainly didn't want to encounter one of those spider things again.

He decided to set off at once. North led him across the meadow which he traversed quickly. To his amazement, he found an animal track leading into the trees on the north side of the clearing. He bent down to see if he could recognize what type of prints were there. He didn't want to be traipsing down a path used by unfriendly elements. There were the usual forest life tracks on the path - deer mostly, but also some other larger, unfamiliar tracks. Hoofs. "Centaurs?" he thought. "They could be horse tracks... what are these ?" Large feet with four toes and claws.

He heard a 'snap' behind him and he whirled around. As he spun, he flicked his wrists and two throwing daggers fell neatly into his hands, ready to throw...

 

[Dark Warrior]

Adraelus

Adraelus walked majestically along the forest path, his bow in hand as he felt the feeling of imminent danger. A white flash struck his eyes, and something darted from the bushes. He instinctively let loose an arrow, and heard the sound of arrow biting into flesh.
"Yeeooooowwww!" Came the yell, and I soon saw the figure of an old man, dressed in white, sort of glowing, a beacon of light in the monotonous shades of green of the forest.
"What the hell are you doing, you stupid horse-man!" The old man said, plucking the arrow from his chest. The wound would have killed any other man or even creature, and yet it seemed to close even as Adraelus watched.
"Tell me, Adraelus..." the man started.
"How is it that thou knows Adraelus' name?" The centaur asked in disbelief.
The old man gave a laugh. "My learned friend, I would expect you, of all people, to know that my level of knowledge far surpasses anything else that walks this world."
"Then it is true..." Adraelus said, stroking his red-brown goatee.
The man chuckled. "Aye, so you HAVE heard of me."
"Indeed, but Adraelus never thought that he wouldst have the honour of meeting one such as you." The centaur made a bow, strangely elegant for his ungainly size and build. "It is Adraelus' pleasure."
"I came all this way for someone who speaks in the third person?" The old man said with a chuckle.
Adraelus' brow knitted in confusion. "Does not Adraelus speak the Common language well? And what is this "third person" you speak of?"
"Never worry, my friend. But, please, feel free to use your own language. I know it well."
At that, Adraelus spoke something in a low, strong-sounding language. The old man replied in the same language, and Adraelus laughed. The two walked off together, now conversing in this language.

 

[Mirror868]

Dalorian

But there was nothing there!

Suddenly, something swept Dalorian's feet out from behind and he landed hard on his back, knocking the wind out of him. A large shape bent quickly over him - an ugly face with with a wide flat nose, red eyes, and fangs protuding over its chapped lips. Its skin was yellowish green and layers of fat covered its grotesque body, which resembled a human only in that it had a torso, two arms and two legs. The thing lunged at Dalorians throat.

It wouldn't be the first time that Dalorian's speed would save him. He had won several fights due to his quickness and agility and this time was no different. Despite his inability to breathe, Dalorian raised his right arm over him, which was luckily still clutching one of his throwing daggers. The gesture was more of a natural motion of self-defence, but it saved his life.

The creature, in its haste and cruelty, lunged onto Dalorian, only to impale itself on the up-thrust knife. It's fingers, which ended in razor-sharp claws, nonetheless wrapped themselves around Dalorian's throat. But even as the the creature began to squeeze, Dalorian could feel it's life ebbing. After a few moments, the thing fell heavily on him, dead - Dalorian's dagger stuck hard in it's chest.

With an effort, Dalorian shoved the creature off of him and rolled over onto his hands and knees, waiting for his breath to return. After for what seemed like an eternity, he was finally able to inhale...

 

[Mirror868]

Dalorian

Dalorian lifted his hands to his neck and felt the gashes left there by the creature. He felt the warmth of blood against his fingertips.

He looked up, scanning the forest. He certainly didn't want to encounter another one of these filthy things with his head down. He quickly stood up and retrieved his dagger from the thing's chest. It took some effort to shove the fat body onto its back. How did it make that 'snap' behind me and then attack from behind? He shook the thought out of his head for the time being, knowing that speed was needed. He quickly wiped his blade clean of the yellowish green blood that covered it, then replaced his daggers in the folds of his sleeves.

He quickly, and silently, moved to the edge of the path and ran deeper into the wood. The trees were mostly Ash and Fir and they were old; there was relatively little undergrowth. Dalorian moved farther from the path, but not out of sight of it, and continued North. He did his his best to keep quiet and in the tree's shadows - something at which he was quite adept.

After some time, perhaps an hour, he stopped and tended the wounds on his neck. It did not take much time to mix the appropriate herbs into a healing salve. The last thing I want is an infection. With creatures like that around, I can see why few return from this forest.

After his wounds were bandaged, and mostly healed, due to his Druidic ability, he continued North, still keeping away from the path, but always within sight of it. . .

 

[Dark Warrior]

Adraelus

Adraelus galloped across the woodland path, leaping over shrubs, but never stopping. His face was one of concentration, and sweat was running down his flanks as he made north. Finally, he stopped... he had been galloping for near three hours now, a feat few could do. Now, he was exhausted, collapsing.
He lay there for a few minutes, too tired to move: but then, he eased himself up, and, with the last of his energy, yelled out one word.
"Dalorian!"
Whether it was heard or not, he wasn't sure, as he collapsed once more after saying it.

 

[Mirror868]

Dalorian

Dalorian froze in mid-step. He listened to the wind whispering through the trees. I could have sworn I heard my name, he thought.

Dalorian had been walking through the forest for most of the day. It was now mid-afternoon and he thought he had made good progress. The forest had been quiet all day, except for the usual woodland noises - wind through the leaves and the chirping and chattering of small woodland creatures. But now he had heard his name on the breeze of the wind. And if his Half-Elven ears were't mistaken, it had been the voice of Adraelus.

Dalorian turned around. He still had a couple hours of daylight. It would be unwise to ignore the wind, he thought.

He walked for about half an hour, keeping quiet and to the shadows, when he discerned on the path an unmoving shape. He crept closer. Indeed! It is Adraelus! And he is wounded!

Dalorian quickly moved to the Centaur's side and began to prepare a healing salve. Adraelus appeared to be unconcious...

 

[Dark Warrior]

Adraelus

Adraelus woke up to one feeling: pain. He looked at the wound on his chest, and at the figure probing gently, yet painfully, into the bloodied mess.
"Dal.. Dalorian? 'Tis it you?" Adraelus said. The figure turned to face him, and Adraelus' thoughts were confirmed.
"Ah! Thank the heavens Adraelus has found thee!" the centaur stood, ignoring the wound and Dalorian's efforts to heal it. The half-elf made to stop him, but Adraelus simply shook his head.
"Nay, half-thing, 'tis but a scratch. We must be hurrying. You are in much grave danger... and Adraelus has been sent to help thee. Come, north we must be." seeing Dalorian's confused face, the centaur shook his head once more. " 'Tis... too complex to tell to one such as thee. Safe to say that we must be gone... quickly."

 

[Mirror868]

Dalorian

Looking up, Dalorian's sharp Half-Elven sight caught movement over the form of Adraelus. He looked penetratingly into the deepening shadows of the forest; he tuned his ears to its sounds. At the same moment, he put a finger to his lips.

His Half-Elven eyes caught movement again, straight ahead. And simultaneously he heard a twig snap to his left. He rolled his eyes to the right and, sure enough, there was a shape half hidden by a tree. It appeared to be another of the creatures that had attacked him earlier. And if his eyes and ears weren't mistaken, there was more than one.

Dalorian whispered, pitching his voice for Adraelus' ears alone. "Adraelus, I do believe you're right. We had best be on our way. It seems your voice attracted more than just me - I do believe we are surrounded..."

 

[Dark Warrior]

Adraelus looked down at the half-elf, smiling, and then bursting into laughter at the look of confusion in Dalorian's eyes. The centaur, in response, turned to face the trees and the figures behind them.
"Ushruhk Kalah-Laen, Lahelik Zalell!" Aedraelus declared at the top of his voice. The figures dissapeared, running deeper into the forest.
"Half-thing," the centaur said, turning to face his companion, "you do not spend a lifetime in this place without knowing how to survive here." Suddenly, his face grew stern. "But, there is no time to stand around and chat. Come, we shall be off."
The centaur left the shocked half-elf, taking two steps north, before turning back.
"Are thou coming, half-thing?" He said, turning and walking once more.

 

[Mirror868]

Dalorian

"Mm, yes," replied Dalorian, still watching the shapes retreating into the forest. Falling into step beside the Centaur, he said, "I think I am lucky that you came to find me. I don't know how long I could have avoided those foul creatures. "

After walking for a short time, Dalorian asked, "Adraelus, what made you decide to come after me?"

 

[Dark Warrior]

Adraelus

"That's the problem with man-things and half-things. Always need an answer to everything. Suffice to say, Dalorian, your presence here has much more importance than thou, or even Adraelus, in all his great wisdom, could have guessed. Adraelus was visited by the man in white earlier... and it is true that he knows more than even Adraelus does." Adraelus said, looking up at the sky. After a brief pause, he continued.
" 'Tis not that Adraelus decided to come to find you... 'twas the white man who sent Adraelus on this quest, and he alone knows the reason behind it. To Adraelus he did not tell any more detail, but Adraelus is wise enough to know when Adraelus should do what Adraelus is told."

 

[Dark Warrior]

still there?

 

[Mirror868]

Dalorian

OCC: Yup. Life got suddenly busy... The fun police were after me.

IC: "Yes," Dalorian relpied, "There seemed to be a strange benevolent power behind the Man Dressed In White. His words affected me also - I felt in my heart that I should do as he said... And now here I am, travelling North at his behest." As Adraelus and Dalorian continued walking, Dalorian fell to musing. Eventually he said, "I wonder Adraelus, if the Man In White used some sort of magic on us - compelled us in some way to travel this Path. But perhaps centaurs are immune to suchlike spells?"

As the sun neared the Western horizon, they walked along the forest floor, following the winding North-bound path, but both were unaware of the eyes that watched them from the tree-tops...

 

[Dark Warrior]

Adraelus

"Perhaps, perhaps not. Always you are asking questions and trying to solve everything. Perhaps some things are best left unanswered." Adraelus said sagely. "You know what they say, curiosity killed the centaur!" he gave a half-neigh, half-laugh. "Oh wait. Forgive me, it's cat in your speech, is it not?"
Once more he fell into a fit of a laughter. He had not felt this happy in years... why was it so now?

 

[Mirror868]

Dalorian

Dalorian looked side-long at the laughing Centaur. He began to feel the beginnings of laughter in his belly and his face split into a silly grin. As the first wave of laughter took him, the sun sank below the horizon and the shadows from the trees lenghtened.

There was a rustling of leaves in the trees above the two companions, a whisper like the wind. A dark shadowy shape flitted from one tree to another, muttering softly under its breath. But neither the Centaur nor the Half-Elf noticed the approaching shadow due to their uncontrolled laughing...

 

[Dark Warrior]

Adraelus

After a few moments, the two companions regained their composure and stopped laughing. For a second they walked in silence.
Adraelus' brow knitted in confusion. "Did... you hear something?" he asked his friend in a soft, urgent voice. His eyes scanned the surrounding forest, but he could see nothing. Instinctively, one of his hands began to edge behind his back, resting on his bow, and his other hand reached towards his quiver.

 

[Mirror868]

Dalorian

"Um, No-"

Suddenly a black shape dropped from the trees above. Dalorian heard nothing, but rather sensed something dropping from above. He flicked his wrists as he attempted to jump off the path, out of the way of the descending shape. But this time his speed failed him, although it may have saved his life.

A club fell hard on his left shoulder, barely missing his head. His arm immediately went numb and the dagger fell to the ground from his now useless left hand. He began to fall to the forest floor as he saw the black shape - for that is what it was, black without any definition - lunge towards the Centaur.

Dalorian raised his right arm and threw his remaining throwing dagger at the back of the black shape as he fell. An instant later he hit the ground hard, knocking his head on a tree root. The world around him went hazy, then turned to black...